Undercover Brother does to the
blaxploitation movie what Austin Powers did to the ’60s spy movie,
albeit not quite as successfully. It mocks the conventions and clichés of the
genre by taking a representative of it (in this case, a Shaft-esque private
detective) and placing him in a world outside of what he is accustomed to.
Essentially, everyone but him is in on the joke. In this case, though, everyone
is also part of a joke—and a much larger one than a simple case of genre
bending. The movie also serves as a satire of race relations in America. In
subject matter and intent, this is a much more ambitious comedy than it first
appears to be, but it isn’t quite as funny as its premise would suggest. The
exposition is amusing and the risqué political incorrectness that is scattered
throughout offers ample moments of disbelief turning into laughs, but the movie
just has too much on its plate to really stay afloat for its just under ninety
minute running time.

Undercover Brother (Eddie Griffin), is your
typical private eye stuck in a ’70s time warp. He concentrates his efforts on
keeping things funky. He has a sort of Robin Hood complex, and while
infiltrating a large bank run by a multinational corporation, he mistakenly
interrupts a different mission by B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., an acronym (what it
stands for is never revealed) for a group looking to stop The Man. The Man sits
in the shadows of his company, concocting plans to keep African-Americans and
their culture from penetrating white society. His latest plot involves a Colin
Powell-like general (Billy Dee Williams) who may be the first black presidential
candidate with a chance of winning. Wanting "to keep the White House
white," The Man drugs the general, and instead of announcing his candidacy,
he declares his plan to open a fried chicken fast-food chain at a press
conference. The chief of B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., aptly named The Chief (Chi
McBride), orders operative Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis) to recruit Undercover
Brother to help discover the root of The Man’s plan.

If the not-so-subtle social allegory seems too
heavy a theme for comedy, you’ll be surprised how well it actually does work.
The movie indulges in broad stereotypes for its humor, but the gimmick is not
only cleverly presented but also crosses both sides of the racial border—it’s
an equal opportunity satire. From the representations of other
B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. members like Smart Brother (Gary Anthony Williams) and
Conspiracy Brother (Dave Chappelle) to the white intern Lance (Neil Patrick
Harris) who was hired because of affirmative action, the script by John Ridley
and Michael McCullers and based on an internet cartoon series by Ridley is
fearless when it comes to walking all over PC barriers. There are plenty of
in-jokes present; my personal favorite is The Chief who randomly starts to yell
at his subordinates like all police chiefs in the movies. He even gives a
knowing glance to a photo of Danny Glover when he quotes his famous Lethal
Weapon mantra.

There is a mixed selection of comedic
performances in the movie, but its center is solid. Eddie Griffin has played the
comic relief to annoying effect in Double Take
and John Q, but here he has a role that
allows him to stretch his range beyond typical nuisance. The
B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. members are also equally met. Chi McBride is very funny
as The Chief, and Dave Chappelle and Gary Anthony Williams have multiple moments
in their self-explainable roles. It’s Neil Patrick Harris, though, who
surprises the most. Both he and his character have highly amusing late turns.
The villains, however, don’t fare quite as well. Chris Kattan plays Mr.
Feather, an eminent henchman in The Man’s organization. He is completely out
of place and still shows no sign of possibility, especially after Corky
Romano. Denise Richards plays a femme fatale with her usual
blandness.

Undercover Brother is hit and miss. The
premise is right on, but the execution still leaves something to be desired. I’ll
commend the movie for its gall to tackle such touchy subjects with such seeming
ease, but I wish a bit more time had been taken to polish its slower, less
successful bits. Then we would have had something special.